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With the ongoing news of harsh layoffs from companies that evoked employee loyalty and epitomized success, it's understandable to be cautious when vetting out potential employers. No one wants to feel the shock of waking up one day not having a job or feeling like they've been dumped and duped. Layoffs may need to happen, but that doesn't mean people's dignity has to go out the door with their paycheck. The American Psychological Association's 2022 Work and Wellbeing Survey found that 81% of individuals said they would look for workplaces that support mental health when seeking future job opportunities. Taking stock of my experience in the employee happiness space, here are 3 tell-all signs that your company actually cares about your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing:
Giving and getting feedback is practiced on multiple levels
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How do you know you're performing well at your job if no one evaluates you once in a while? That's a question that runs through employees' minds, but also the mind of a company that wants to know how they're doing as an employer. For instance, on a company level, if you're told there are a number of programs in place for employee wellbeing, it's important to get a vibe for how invested the company is in the participation and improvement of those programs or if they just exist as talking points. Does that employee meditation class really get bodies on the yoga mat, or will I be showing up to an awkward, empty room? Yeah, that monthly Calm subscription is a nice-to-have, but do I also get access to a therapist I can grow with?
On the manager level, consistent feedback (or, as we call it, feedforward) in the form of 1:1 reviews or check-ins should be supported by leadership and teams. In this age, there shouldn't be a case where an employee goes more than one or two weeks without some type of feedforward from their manager. It doesn't have to come in the form of a formal sit-down. A quick one-two share of something they're doing well and something they can work on can be on the speed of casual but effective check-ins. Some questions potential employees can ask in the interview process and questions employers should expect to answer: how often does the company reach out to employees for 360° feedforward on management? Is there a process in place to ensure that managers are doing 1:1 reviews or checking in with their teams? What questions do they ask during check-ins — are they all about my skills and performance, or are they tracking how I'm feeling mentally, emotionally, and physically too (actual wholeness)?
They've made program changes based on employee feedback
In a Harvard Business Review survey of 10,000 workers, more than 90% of them are willing to let their employers collect and use data on them and their work, but only if they benefit in some way. In a culture where people want to feel heard and understood more than ever, people also want to feel like their feedback is valued. At LinkedIn, the question "How are you?" was added to their quarterly employee survey. Instead of just responding with a "Thanks for sharing!", employees' responses were used to create new programs to help relieve burnout. So in April 2021, as part of their response, LinkedIn gave almost all of its employees a week of paid time off so they could rest and reset. Last year, Google tested a four-week "work from anywhere" model, so people had the flexibility of opting for their homes or could temporarily move their workspace abroad (hello, Italy!). And some teams at DoorDash are seeing whether a once-a-month "reset day" (that the team collectively decides on, not senior management) can help with burnout.
For your prospective employer, it's fair to ask for an example of when they took employee feedback to heart and made changes to the workplace. It's important to know that there are practical examples of the company making swift, agile decisions to improve work/life whenever possible. Employers need to be able to adjust to their employees' responses.
Leadership models and encourages the use of wellbeing programs (EAP, financial coaching resources, exercise memberships, etc.)
A part of championing wellbeing in the workplace is having key leaders know what resources are available and speak on their experience using them. Whether it's trying out the ginger and cayenne pepper shots in the cafeteria (true story) or talking about how they took a mental health day off recently, leaders who actively participate in wellbeing initiatives can make employees feel comfortable in using them too. According to a survey by LinkedIn, 70% of executives reported they promote a healthy work-life balance, but just around half of employees agreed that the executives really did. That gap in what's perceived and what's really happening can show us how there's a need for more walk-the-talk communication and action from leadership.
Biotech company Genentech initiated a leadership campaign to reduce the stigma around mental health. At the time, they had programs to help with mental health, but the company wanted to see employees use the programs with success. So they shared videos from six of their leaders sharing personal stories about their mental health, with the goal of modeling transparency and showing it's more than OK to seek support. These videos were used as part of a training program for their select mental health champions, and by the end of the training, nearly all participants surveyed (89%+) felt better equipped to support their colleagues around mental health and felt more comfortable reaching out to HR or one's manager with any mental health needs.
Since the world got 2020'd, people, more than ever, are prioritizing their wellbeing over career advancement. As more workplaces respond to employee needs and get effective results around wellbeing, work can become an integrated part of your life equation (not all of it).
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